Wannabe to WoW: Not-Great-Blue Side Table Gets a French Gray Makeover

My family was coming to visit that day, and I badly needed a side table to replace the UPS box (*silent scream*) that was currently holding the lamp next to the guest bed...

So, in desperation, I stopped at a very very grungy little "flea market" I happened to be passing on the way home from the grocery store.

To my surprise, amid the acres of junky junk I saw the first time I was there, I discovered this newly marked-down diamond in the rough:

I confess, in my inexperience, I was impetuous. The $10 price tag sold me, no questions asked. I should have AT LEAST inspected for insects. And then, looked closer at the piece. If you do, you'll notice how sloppy the white lines are. And, between paint drips and rough chips and outright gouges in the wood, it was a bit of a disaster. Not to mention that what was prob supposed to be Wedgewood blue - was the right shade of NOT. 

I decided some leftover gray paint and would make it a perfect companion for the new twin bed in that room.

So I set in, sanding it out, despite the 5-degree cold front we were enduring (I get determined sometimes). It turned out to have a white AND black layer of paint underneath which proved problematic when I tried distressing. But...

...eventually worked in my favor.

With care and the right amount of plaster paint (aka homemade chalk paint), some wax, and a teeny-tiny paint brush (and lots of hours...) to (***finally***) get the lines right, the result was great.

*   *   *

In case you're curious, here's how it went, from start to finish:

1. Find and buy cheap table. Be dumb. Don't inspect (who does that?).
2. Remove and paint handle. 
3. Sand...and sand...and sand (triangle power sander + 80 grit > 120 > 180; then hand sanding at 220)
4. Mix up plaster paint [(1/2 cup plaster of Paris + 1/2 cup warm water) + 1-1/2 cup fave flat or satin paint]. Slap on initial 2 coats. 
5. Carefully apply 3rd (and should be final coat)...
6. Use tiny brush to paint in white lines with white plaster paint. Cover mistakes and straighten edges with tiny foam brush dipped in gray. 
7. Hand-sand painted surfaces lightly (220) all over; rougher on the edges.
8. Paint over underneath layers of paint I didn't expect to show through.
9. Start waxing only to find massive imperfections that first sanding didn't rectify.
10. Buff what's salvageable before the wax hardens.
11. Sand again...
12. Spot repaint.
13. Wax all over. And buff.

How it should have gone:

1. Find cheap table. Inspect to know what you're getting into. If you're OK with the work : price ratio, buy cheap table.
2. Inspect for bugs (particularly bed bugs...) and give a generous wipe with mineral spirits to remove any doubt.
3. Remove and paint handle. 
4. Sand. Don't rush. Find ALL the spots.
5. Mix up plaster paint. Slap on initial 1-2 coats. Carefully apply final coat. Allow to dry.
6. Hand-sand painted surfaces lightly (220) all over; rougher on the edges to distress.
7. Use tiny brush to paint details. Touch up edges of details or areas that you "over" distressed.
8. Wax all over. And buff. Done!